Review of Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould (2009) by Allen G — 23 Jun 2013

It's a brave breed of documentary that tries to do more than tell us the story, it tries to tell us about the person behind it. The difficult part is that this one does it with Glenn Gould- one of the most complex public figures you are likely to find. This film gives its best with some great footage and interviews with those around him but we hear little from him, it feels too speculative, like everyone involved doesn't understand him anymore than we do. That may be true, Gould just may have been that hard to define but hearing more from the man himself (from what he said while he was alive of course) may have helped us answer some questions.

Despite the general uncertainty within the end result, it isn't an analysis of how great he was or some kind of hero-worship. Instead, like with his life, the documentary takes a turn and goes deeper into the dark sides of Gould be it the hypochondria or his guilt surrounding his mother.

This is a well-done documentary and a must-see for any Gould fan. I also recommended it for music fans in general regardless of their preferences as Gould was just such a strange character and majestic musician.